Craftpoint Brewing Launch at Big Bad Wolf

Last Saturday, the 10th of August 2013, the Philippines reasserted itself as a powerhouse in the Asian basketball scene. A couple of hours before that epic semifinal game before Korea tipped off, the local craft beer community welcomed a new player as well. Craftpoint Brewing Company is made up of a trio of local home brewers and beer enthusiasts, Marvin, Aldous and Chip. Their much-awaited pair of introductory brews was launched at the Big Bad Wolf in Bonifacio Global City. From their humble beginnings giving away free samples of their creations during home brewers’ nights, from Craft Rock and Grill, to L’Incontro to The Bottle Shop, these guys have finally made it. I’m especially proud of how their skill as brewers has exponentially improved in such a short time, resulting in some delicious beer.

The first, lighter beer was the Summer Sessions blonde ale: nice and refreshing, with lots of honey, herbs and malt. It wasn’t too thin, almost medium-bodied. Despite a strong, well-retained head, it lacked some crispness and carbonation that would have made it the perfect summer session beer.

Craftpoint’s flagship brew is Liberation, a hybrid American pale ale with Belgian yeasts. This had the best characteristics of both the Belgian and American styles, with banana esters in the nose and a nice balance of hops and caramel malts. The Liberation was much more robust and substantial than the Summer Sessions, and rightfully so given its brewing style – making it a brew truly exemplary of the craft beer philosophy. Playful and creative this was, similar to the well-received Stone Cali-Belgique IPA. I’d definitely order this again and again.

The beers were paired with Big Bad Wolf’s chicken wings, a steal at only P25 per wing during happy hour from 3pm to 7pm. I enjoyed the mild heat of their buffalo-style sauce more than the sweet and tangy barbecue variety. I also wanted to try their soy-garlic wings, but unfortunately, the order may have been mixed up and/or forgotten.

As the big game was about to start, the tough choice between nationalistic basketball fandom and craft beer had to be made. Basketball won out this time, and as history will tell, Team Gilas Pilipinas made it a game — and a night — to remember. Congratulations to the guys again, to Gilas for making it to the FIBA World Championship in Spain next year, and to Craftpoint Brewing for taking the boundaries of local beer even further.

Craftpoint’s beers are available exclusively at Big Bad Wolf for now, but hopefully, we see a wider distribution in the coming weeks.